Welcome,
Dear one,
To this guided meditation for attention and awareness.
Often,
When we feel stressed or anxious,
It helps us to pause and pay attention to our thoughts.
We live in a world that constantly competes for our focus.
Bright colors,
Bold shapes and tempting offers pull us in every direction.
It's like standing in a noisy marketplace where every stall shouts your name and we end up giving so much attention to what's happening out there that we forget to notice what's quietly unfolding within.
But right now,
Right now,
We shift the spotlight.
Because as the saying goes,
Where your attention goes,
Energy flows.
So let this practice be an invitation to turn inward,
To listen deeply,
To breathe intentionally and to move with the rhythm of your own presence.
So let's begin.
Take a comfortable seat or lie down if that feels better.
And if it's available to you,
Close your eyes gently or simply soften your gaze.
Begin by noticing the temperature of the air,
The weight of your body against the surface beneath you,
The subtle sound of your own breath.
Let your awareness arrive like a wave returning to shore with no rush,
Just presence.
Now let's explore a simple three-part breathing technique to anchor your attention and to soften your nervous system.
Part one,
We'll breathe into the belly.
So place one hand on your belly if that feels good and invite a deep inhale into the lower belly.
Feel it expand and as you exhale,
Let the belly soften.
Again,
Gently inhaling into your hands,
Into your belly,
And exhale with ease.
Stay here for a few more rounds,
Following the breath like a thread guiding you home,
Moving the air into the ribs.
We start now by moving your attention or your hands,
If that helps,
To your ribs.
Let the breath rise a little higher,
Inhaling into the sides of the ribcage,
Feeling them widen gently,
Expanding outward.
And exhale,
Letting them soften inward.
Breathing into the ribs,
Into the side bodies,
Like the wings of the body is expanding and returning.
Give yourself a few rounds here,
Noticing,
Feeling,
Allowing.
Shifting our attention once more,
This time to the chest.
Finally,
Bringing the awareness fully to the chest area,
To the heart space.
And let your breath rise to meet this heart space,
Gently,
Not forced.
Feel the breath beneath the collarbones,
And the exhale slowly,
Like a sigh of soft release.
Deep inhales into the chest,
And a soft release as you exhale.
You might even take a moment here to whisper to yourself,
I am here,
I am present.
I am here,
I am present.
Now,
Combining all three,
Taking a few full connected breaths,
Inhaling through the body,
Into the belly,
Ribs,
Chest,
And exhaling gently from the chest,
The ribs,
And belly.
A wave of breath,
Rising with the in,
And falling with the exhale.
There's no right or wrong way here,
There's nothing you need to fix,
Just notice what's there.
Maybe even notice something beautiful,
The rhythm of your heart.
Or the space you've made,
Just by showing up.
The courage it takes to turn inward,
To pay attention.
Let yourself rest in that awareness,
In the stillness beneath all the noise,
And in the quiet power of your own attention.
You can stay here as long as you want,
As long as you need.
But if you're ready,
Or when you're ready,
Slowly bring your awareness back to the room,
To the sounds,
To the sensations,
To the space around you.
You've just practiced reclaiming your attention by honoring what lives inside you.
And may you carry this presence with you,
Gently and truthfully,
As you move back into the world.
Thank you for being here,
Thank you for choosing you,
From the love,
The light,
And the life in me,
To the love,
The light,
And the life in you.
Have a wonderful day.
